1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a container and a method for using the container, and more particularly, to a container for storing a refrigerant and a method for delivering refrigerant while controlling leakage.
2. Related Art
Refrigerant containers are generally known in the art. Kerr et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,925,103), White ((U.S. Pat. No. 3,976,110), Hatch (U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,982) and Vogel (U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,925) all teach systems and containers that are adapted to store and dispense refrigerants. Vogel also teaches a container that includes a single fill feature, where the container is designed to be filled only once and includes provisions that prevent the container from being filled a second time.
The related art also teaches containers that include a pressure relief feature. Examples include Park (U.S. patent application number US 2003/0071078 A1), Tsutsui et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,510,968), Schneider et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,124), Stevens (U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,804), Bruce (U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,557), Webster (U.S. Pat. No. 3,155,292) and Both et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,757,964). These references teach systems and devices that can relief excessive internal pressure in a container.
Other references in the general art of pressurized containers include Marecki (U.S. Pat. No. 6,030,682), which teaches a number of different materials that can be used and various properties for those materials. Baudin (U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,189) teaches a pressure relief valve in combination with a primary valve. Groys (U.S. patent application number US 2004/0040978 A1) teaches a valve that can be used with a pressurized container.
While the related art teaches refrigerant containers in various forms, there are many shortcomings. Those refrigerant containers are unable to properly re-seal after a container is used in a variety of different circumstances and after a portion of its contents have been discharged. The various valve arrangements are not backward compatible with existing connections, and the use of these containers with existing connections can cause damage and failure of the valve assemblies.
The devices taught by the related art do not provide a convenient and inexpensive system that provides a pressure relief function in the event of an internal pressure build up. These and other shortcomings indicate a need for a canister that overcomes these problems and provides for the environmentally safe delivery of refrigerant.